Auburn Men’s Golf in the Hunt at Gator Invitational, Koivun and Albert Shine Early
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - With one round in the books and the second suspended due to fading daylight, Auburn men’s golf finds itself right in the thick of it at the Gator Invitational. The No. 2-ranked Tigers sit in second place at 19-under-par, just three shots off the pace set by No. 10 Florida, who’s making the most of home-course advantage at Mark Bostic Golf Course.
Auburn came out firing in Saturday’s morning round, carding an impressive 11-under as a team. The afternoon session was cut short by darkness, but not before the Tigers made it clear they’re not going anywhere.
Leading the charge are juniors Jackson Koivun and Jake Albert, who both lit up the course with matching 64s (-6) in the opening round. They’ve continued to roll through the second round and currently sit at 8-under overall, with a few holes still to play. The duo shares the individual lead heading into Sunday’s final stretch, and if their form holds, they could be in for a big finish.
Josiah Gilbert has been steady and reliable - a morning 70 (even-par) followed by a strong afternoon showing has him at 3-under heading into Sunday. Freshman Logan Reilly is holding his own at 1-under, while junior Cayden Pope is sitting at even-par.
Rounding out the group, sophomore Billy Davis is at 3-over, and Tyler Spielman is at 7-over. Both Davis and Spielman are playing as individuals alongside Reilly.
With a round and change still to play, there’s plenty of golf left - and plenty of room for movement on the leaderboard. Florida may have the lead for now, but Auburn’s got the firepower and momentum to make things interesting down the stretch.
Sunday’s finale is shaping up to be a battle, and if Koivun and Albert keep swinging like they did Saturday morning, the Tigers could be in prime position to make a serious run at the title.